Quebec reaction to cruise slowdown

Cruise lines indicated at a recent meeting that demand for Eastern Canada was basically flat from their perspective and that it would up to the regions in Atlantic Canada and Quebec to create the campaign to change the climate.

This year, the Quebec authority is showing a decrease to 80,000 from 102,000 last year. In this case it’s because two ships are using different routes in Atlantic Canada.

So the Quebec government is stepping in with a grant of $4 million to support a maritime pavilion and pedestrian walkway for cruise passengers stopping in Baie-Comeau.

Quebec may be just a bit optimistic in thinking it can grow the market along the St. Lawrence from where it is now to 400,000 by 2014. That, my friends, is a very big task and I wish Quebecers the best of luck.

Before you spend a lot of money on infrastructure, you have to make sure the cruise lines will come if you will build.

All for now.

The other cruise blog you should bookmark is written by colleagues on the Ports and Bows team, and you’ll find it at cruisingdoneright.com